A Quiet Night
by themodernteen
Summary: What was supposed to be a quiet night without his handlers goes awry for Chuck when he's kidnapped by a mysterious gang. Sarah and Casey try to find the Intersect, who's being tortured and used for the secrets in his head. Their mission to find Bartowski leads to a road of secrecy, deceit, and emotions as Sarah faces her true feelings for Chuck. I do not own anything from "Chuck".
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my newest fic! I love the TV show "Chuck" and I hope you all enjoy! Leave me a fav/follow/review! They are greatly appreciated!**

"Wakey, wakey, Chuck."

Chuck furrowed his brows and groaned in his sleep, "Go away, Morgan." He turned on his side, away from the interrupting noise.

"Come on, Chuck, wake up," he heard his best friend's whines once more.

"I'm trying to sleep, Morgan."

"Please, I have something to tell you!"

"No."

"Chu-"

"No."

Peace was restored once again. Chuck breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, hey, Sarah, good to see you!"

Chuck bolted awake. He shot to an upright position on the couch and instinctively swiped his hands through his hair.

"Sarah? Where?" he looked around frantically, but saw none of his blonde CIA handler. Just Morgan. The deceit sunk in and Chuck looked to Morgan with a look of annoyance.

"Ah, great! You're awake!" Morgan smiled.

"What do you want, Morgan?" Chuck sighed and leaned back against the couch. There was no way he was catching any more sleep now.

"Listen, Chuck, I've been thinking lately-"

"Oh, no. Morgan, you know what happens when you think."

"No, no, listen, it's good."

"Fine, continue."

"So the Buy More is having its annual spring sale."

"Right."

"And I was thinking, just bouncing around some ideas in my head, that we do a graveyard shift, you know? That way we keep the store open 24 hours to get more sales."

"Yeah, Morgan, that's great, it's just I don't think so many people are going to be lining up at 3 AM for 10% off."

"Not with that attitude!" Morgan clapped his shoulder, "here, let me tell you the logistics…"

Chuck's line of vision went out his window to the courtyard. John Casey, his NSA assigned handler walked up to the pane of glass and motioned for him to get outside.

Morgan was still raving about his idea.

"Yeah, yeah, that sounds great, buddy!" Chuck stood up, trying to find a way to escape to the courtyard, "Why don't you run it by Big Mike and see if it takes."

"Great idea, man! I knew it was a good idea coming to you!"

Chuck exchanged a few more quick words with an excited Morgan before he slipped outside.

Chuck jogged over to Casey's apartment and knocked on the door. A pair of icy blue eyes peered through the open wedge and let Chuck in.

"Bartowski," Casey growled, "took you long enough."

"I know, I know," he held up his hands in surrender, "I had to shake off Morgan. You know how that is."

"I don't understand how you can stand those Buy Morons," he spat.

"I assume I was called here to get some information on some top secret mission, not to be criticized relentlessly, right?"

Casey snorted, but continued, "Walker will be here soon."

Chuck bounced on his heels, feeling his skin prickle. He was in Casey's _house_. That was like a watered down version of a military arsenal. Secret gun vaults, ninja star dispensers, hidden daggers, and enough ammo to violate every gun law in the United States.

His little bonsai plant sat on his coffee table, the only indication Casey was actually human.

"So, how's your day been?" Chuck forced a smile.

Casey growled in response, giving him the evil eye.

"Don't want to talk about it, got it," Chuck nodded, "my day was fine, by the way, I-"

"Bartowski?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't care."

"Right."

The doorbell rang.

"Thank God," Chuck mumbled under his breath.

John walked over to the door and opened it, his hand on the gun hidden in his waistband. Sarah walked across the threshold. She looked gorgeous as always. Her blond curls were pulled back in a neat ponytail, and she wore blue jeans with a white shirt. She looked like an angel.

"Casey," she dipped her head to the NSA agent, "Hi, Chuck."

"Hey," he wiped his clammy palms on his pants.

"Right, let's get to the mission," Casey started, "Beckman's online."

Casey pressed a button on his remote, and General Beckman appeared on the monitor. She looked stony as usual.

"Good morning, Major Casey."

"General."

"Good morning, Agent Walker."

"Good morning, General."

"Mr. Bartowski."

"Morning, General."

"I have an assignment tonight for Agent Walker and Major Casey," Beckman delivered a stern glare.

"Wait," Walker stepped forward, "Not Chuck?"

"Not Chuck?" Chuck repeated excitedly.

"No," Beckman confirmed, "this mission does not require Mr. Bartowski's skill set."

"You hear that, Casey?" Chuck kicked his legs up on the table and crossed his arms behind his head, "I've got a skill set."

"If you don't get your legs off my coffee table in the next three seconds, Bartowski, I am going to tear them off with my bare hands."

Chuck set his legs firmly on the floor.

"I don't understand, General," Sarah shook her head, "don't we need Chuck? In case we need him to flash?"

"No, this is a sting operation, Agent Walker. Chuck's knowledge should only be used for the most classified of missions. I don't want to put him in danger of crossfire if the sting goes awry. Chuck, you have the night off, so it seems," Beckman finished.

"Seriously?" he leaned forward, a smile growing on his face, "You're not kidding?"

"Don't question the General, Bartowski," Casey grumbled, "accept the orders."

"I accept! I completely, one-hundred percent accept! Thank you!"

"General-" Sarah protested.

"That is all," Beckman cut her off, "Major Casey will inform you on the details."

The monitor went black.

"Casey, she can't be serious," Walker scoffed, "we can't leave Chuck, our asset, the _Intersect_ , alone here at home with no supervision!"

"Uh, _yes_ , you can," Chuck spoke, "Come on, guys, I haven't had a night alone in months! Everyday it's running from Russian terrorists, or diverting an assassination attempt of some political leader! I think you both are great, but a quiet night with Ellie and Awesome, some video games, and a normal dinner would go a long way for your Intersect's performance."

"What _performance_?" Casey rolled his eyes.

"You get what I mean," Chuck looked to Walker, "please, Sarah? I promise I won't leave the house, nothing will happen."

"She doesn't have a choice," Casey reloaded his gun, "they're her orders. Get ready, Walker, we leave by six."

Chuck smiled, touched her shoulder, and walked out the door.

"Don't do anything stupid, Bartowski!" Casey called, "Or I'll kill you myself!"

A worried line creased itself into Sarah's forehead. She didn't like this, not one bit.

"Doesn't help to worry about him," Casey eyed her, "it helps him if you do your job."

"Right," she nodded and steeled herself, "I'll be ready. Six o'clock."

Night crept over Burbank, California. Walker wore all black. She stood by Casey's door, waiting for him to finish loading their truck. The sting was an infiltration of a notorious Colombian drug ring. Some key members of the gang were rumored to be making a deal nearby, trying to fly their product into the states. The goal was to not let that happen.

"Ready, Walker?"

"Yeah, let me just go check in with Chuck one more time."

John rolled his eyes, "Make it quick."

Sarah climbed through Chuck's open window in his bedroom. He was sitting at his desk, looking at his computer. He jumped, startled when Sarah snuck in, but smiled when he recognized her.

"Sorry," she smirked, "didn't mean to scare you."

"No worries."

"Looking forward to a quiet night, tonight?"

"More than anything," he sighed, "I mean, nothing against you guys-"

"Of course not, Chuck, you deserve it. You went from being a civilian to a government asset overnight, it's understandable."

"Thank you," he nodded, "don't you guys have to leave soon?"

"Yeah, Casey's loading up the truck."

"So, what's your mission?"

"It's better if you don't know," she looked down.

"Right, right," he chuckled, "I don't need anymore secrets in my head."

Casey and I will be back as soon as we can. Check in periodically, okay? Don't leave the house."

"Trust me, I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," she nodded, heading towards the window, "I've got to get going. I'll come by later tonight."

"Alrighty, see you then."

"Bye, Chuck."

"Bye, Sarah."

She tore her gaze away and went back out the window.

 _He's going to be fine, he's going to be fine, he's going to be fine._

The clock hit 2:15 AM. Chuck lay in his bed, fast asleep. He was relaxed, not bruised and sore from being kidnapped, black-bagged, chased, tortured, or tranquilized. When his handlers left, he had a nice dinner with Ellie and Awesome, watched a movie, read some comics, and hit the sack at around 10:00 PM.

Sarah read the report that Chuck sent her of his night a few hours earlier. She was still in the car with Casey, reading the summary for the fourth time.

"Walker, Chuck is asleep. He's fine. He gave you hourly updates just like you asked, give it a rest."

"I know, but I just feel like I'm not doing my job. We're his handlers, and we're not there with him."

"Chuck was able to care of himself before, he can do it again. He's a grown man."

"Yes, but Chuck didn't have a head full of government secrets before."

"Careful, Walker, you actually sound like you care," Casey looked at her with an amused expression. She looked flustered, "he's an assignment."

"Yeah," she sighed, not being able to untangle the knot in her chest, "an assignment."

Something sharp pricked Chuck in the arm. His eyes shot open. _What was that?_ His room was pitch black, the dim glow of the moon his only source of light. He blinked rapidly a few times, feeling a warm feeling spread throughout his body from the prick in his elbow.

He was surrounded by five men wearing heavy-grade, black gear. They had weapons in their hands. Chuck's heart beat rapidly, and his eyes widened even more when he saw a syringe in the hand of one of the mystery figures.

A shout built in his throat. The figures descended like a pack of vultures.

Two grabbed his legs. Two grabbed his arms. One held down his chest. Another stuffed a cloth in his mouth to stop his screams. Chuck thrashed and kicked, but the mysterious injection was starting to take hold. It was a tranquilizer or sedative of some sorts.

His mind started to grow foggy, his eyelids felt heavy, and his movements were becoming more sluggish.

"Hold him tight."

"Jesus, this guy is tall."

"He's almost out, hang in there, boys."

"Man put up quite a fight."

Chuck tried to battle the tranquilizer, but knew it would be to no avail. In a few moments, he would be unconscious, and who knew what his fate sealed after that. His sole concern at the moment was Ellie and Awesome. If he continued to make a ruckus, they'd wake up. They'd come to his bedroom to check on him, and then they'd be taken out by his attackers. That was _NOT_ going to happen.

 _Be brave, Chuck. Whatever happens, happens. At least Ellie and Awesome will be safe..._

The least he could do was try to identify his attackers, just in case, by some miracle, he survived. These people probably knew he was the Intersect, that he was an important government asset. They'd either torture or kill him. It all happened so fast, his eyes weren't able to adjust. All he saw were the shadowed features illuminated by the moon's dim light. On the vest of one of the men, he saw white numbers: 10192000.

"He's out."

 _I'm sorry, Sarah, I'm sorry. There is so much I need to say..._

And with that, Chuck's eyes completely closed and he sank into a deep sleep, wondering where or if he'd wake up again.

 **Chapter 2 coming soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thank you, everyone, for the support! Let me know what you think of this chapter! Leave me a fav/follow/review!**

 **4:08 AM**

Casey just pulled the truck to the curb when Sarah slid open the van door and sprinted outside.

"Walker!" Casey called after her, but she ignored him. They had left Chuck alone for far too long. It was almost 4 AM and they left at 6 PM. She was wide awake, not even a little tired. Her focus the entire night had been on Chuck and his well-being.

She opened the gate and closed it carefully as to not wake the neighbors. Chuck's house loomed into view as she rounded the corner. Sarah rushed to the window and pulled it open. It was locked.

 _No, no, no._

Sarah ran to the front door. Casey just crossed into the courtyard and caught up with Sarah.

"Calm down, Walker! You'll wake the whole complex!"

"This is a government asset we're talking about, Casey," Sarah turned on him, "This is Chuck."

She pulled a pin from her hair and forced the lock open. The CIA and NSA handlers furtively moved past the living room to the bedrooms. Casey and Sarah made it to Chuck's bedroom door. It was slightly ajar.

"Casey," Sarah breathed, her heart beating. She just stared at the open edge, dread filling her body.

"Get inside," he grumbled, "hurry!"

Sarah shook her head and entered Chuck's bedroom. The bed was empty. The sheets were tangled. There were scuff marks on the carpet, clear signs of a struggle.

"Oh, no," Walker felt her heart constrict, "No, Casey, no. This can't be..."

"Quick, check the rest of the house!" John growled.

The NSA agent quickly exited the room and started making his rounds throughout the home. Sarah was left alone in the dark room. She felt her legs grow weak and a rush of ice fill her from head to toe. Walker sunk on to the bed, looking at nothing.

She failed at her mission, she didn't keep Chuck safe even after all the promises she had given him. That curly brown hair, goofy smile, his lanky body, and sarcastic humor. She would never see that again.

Chuck was gone.

 **5:17 AM**

"Good evening, General Beckman," Casey spoke to the monitor, "I am sorry to have woken you so early."

"What's the issue, Major?" Beckman delivered him the same terse look. She didn't look the least bit affected by his wayward call.

"General, while Agent Walker and I were on our mission earlier today, it appears that Chuck Bartowski was taken."

"I'm sorry?"

"Someone kidnapped Chuck," Sarah stood up, rage spilling into her tone, "because we were forced to go on your mission."

General Beckman's lips pursed into a fine line, "I will ask you to address your tone, Agent Walker."

She looked down, her fists clenched with anger.

"Major Casey, give me the details."

"We arrived back at the asset's complex a few minutes past 4 o'clock in the morning. Sarah and I both went to Chuck's bedroom and noticed the asset wasn't there. We examined the rest of the perimeter. We checked his calendar and recent call logs. There was no communication on his behalf past 10 PM and his vehicle was still in the garage. There was no possible way Chuck could have left the complex without being taken from there by a third party."

"Did the cameras get anything?" Beckman pressed.

"They were disabled," Casey concluded, "and there were signs of a struggle in the asset's bedroom."

"I see," Beckman sighed, "Major Casey, Agent Walker, I applaud you on your efforts-"

"You applaud us?!" Sarah retorted, "Our asset was kidnapped, we failed our primary objective of the mission!"

"Walker!" Casey intervened, glaring at her with disapproving eyes.

"And the mission you sent us on was a bust! The Colombian drug dealers never showed!"

"Agent Walker!" Beckman's tone hardened, "I will not be castigated by _you_. You did your job, you did what you were told to, you followed orders. If the mission was inconclusive, that is the result of third-party factors. Occasionally, our missions are not successful, and that is a matter you will have to adjust to if you are having difficulty processing it."

Sarah looked to the floor.

"You have grown too attached to Mr. Bartowski, I have seen it for some time. As soon as we retrieve him, I am going to seriously consider reassigning you to a different mission," Beckman finished her speech and looked to Casey, "Major, find whatever evidence you can. I will have a forensics team there shortly to assess the situation. Until then, your orders are to stay put until we have further intel. That is all."

"Thank you, General," Casey dipped his head.

"Thank you," Sarah mumbled without looking at the screen.

The monitor went black.

"Sarah-"

Walker yelled in frustration and kicked Casey's bonsai plant off the table. It went flying across the room and shattered to pieces at the far wall. She was burning with anger. How dare Beckman tell her to not react when Chuck was out there somewhere, alone and frightened?

"Casey, we can't sit around and do nothing! Chuck is out there!"

"Orders are-"

"Forget orders!" she shouted, "I am going after Chuck, whether you like it or not."

"Are you suggesting we go AWOL?" Casey took a step forward, sizing her up.

"Yes," she said through clenched teeth, "and you can't stop me."

She saw Casey's jaw tighten as he looked to the floor, "You don't have to."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm going with you, Walker."

"Wha-really?"

"Chuck is my mission. I swore an oath to protect him, and by God I'll do just that."

"Casey, I-I...thank you."

"Don't get used to it," he grumbled, back to his usual fortified self, "let's start hunting."

Chuck slowly came to. His senses gradually returned to him, conscious thoughts starting to flow through his head.

He opened his eyes and quickly shut them. A blinding white light glared down at him. Chuck groaned, still feeling a bit groggy from the tranquilizer. He opened his eyes once more and forced them to adjust. When the blinding pain started to recede, Chuck started to remember what took place.

He froze.

There were armed men in his room. He remembered a prick and a needle. He felt hands hold him down, there was a cloth in his mouth. He remembered fear, his worry for Ellie and Awesome.

Chuck looked around. He was in a white, padded cell. A cot hung off the wall, which was where he was placed. He was wearing a white jumpsuit and sneakers. _Who changed me?_

Chuck ran his hands along his body, feeling for any pain in case he was injured. He seemed to be okay except for a splitting headache. The lights weren't helping with that situation.

"Hello?" Chuck called. He swung his feet over the bed and swayed as he tried standing upright. A lightheaded feeling hit him, but it soon passed. The small cell just had the padded walls, a concrete floor, and a small cot, but a black camera eyed him from the corner.

He called again, some fear creeping into his voice, "Hello?"

Questions mobbed his head: _Where was he? Where were Ellie and Awesome? Did Sarah and Casey know he was gone? What day was it? Who took him? What was going to happen to him?_

They probably knew he was the Intersect, that's why he was taken and put into a padded cell. He was probably going to be questioned, tortured, or killed. He was no Casey or Sarah, he didn't know how to endure that? Chuck felt a choking feeling in his chest.

 _Okay, Chuck, cool it. What do you remember?_

The shadowed figures under the moonlight. The syringe. The numbers on the vest-

 _The numbers on the vest!_

Before he blacked out, Chuck remembered seeing a series of white numbers on the black vest. What were they again…?

 _10192000._

He felt a familiar feeling grip him as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. A series of images flashed before his eyes as reality escaped him and the secrets trickled in from the computer in his brain.

 _10192000._

 _Marine Corps Veteran._

 _Former CIA Agent Seeley Jones._

 _Former Special Ops._

 _Dishonorable Discharge_

 _Gun for hire._

Chuck shook his head as he returned to reality. He was still stuck in his white, padded cell, but at least he had some information. He might not have been able to flash before because the tranquilizer effects already took hold of him, but now he was wide awake. Now, he had an advantage over these people.

Chuck eyed the corner and saw a red light appear under the camera. They were watching.

"Agent Seeley Jones?" Chuck ventured, "Marine Corps Veteran? Former CIA Agent?"

Nothing.

"A dishonorable discharge too, huh?" Chuck's voice shook a little, "Must be hard finding work now as a gun for hire."

 _Come on, come on._

He looked at the door, expecting it to open. Something very different happened.

A white gas started to pour through the vents. _Not what I was expecting._

Chuck's eyes widened and he jumped onto his cot, trying to stay elevated as to not escape the gas.

"No, no!" he called, "Please, let me out of here! Sarah! Help!"

The room became cloudy. Chuck lifted his shirt over his head and pressed the cloth against his nose. It was no use. He felt his limbs grow heavy and his eyes close.

 _Not again…._

 **Chapter 3 coming soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next installment! Thank you SO MUCH to my favorites/follows/reviews! Keep it up! Enjoy!**

The morning sun glared down over Burbank, CA. Casey blinked a few times, trying to awaken his frozen eyes. He had been staring at a computer screen for hours now. In fact, he hadn't moved in a few hours. He was still behind his desk, in his chair, concentrating on the screen in front of him.

Casey turned his stiff neck to see Sarah on the couch. She had been looking at the security footage last he checked, but that was hours ago. Now, she was slumped over on the table, asleep.

He stood up on sore legs and walked over. Walker hadn't gotten a minute of sleep last night, she was probably exhausted. Casey pulled his jacket from the couch and placed it over her.

He had gathered a considerable amount of information since the abduction. The security footage was disarmed around 2:30 AM. That left an hour and a half dark period. Casey thoroughly analyzed the building's perimeter, but there was nothing - not even a boot scuff. He had been monitoring nearby traffic cameras, but there was always a glitch in the tape every time a certain vehicle would cross by. These people were professional, they had proper tech and equipment.

He would need to head back into Chuck's bedroom and give it another look once Chuck's sister and brother-in-law left the home.

 _Right. The sister and brother-in-law._

Casey rolled his eyes and walked towards the front door. He exited and shielded his eyes from the sun. After being in a dark room for hours, the rays were painful on his eyes. Casey knocked on the door of the Bartowski home.

After a few seconds, Ellie opened the door. She looked flustered, worry lines etched into her forehead.

"John, thank God!" she breathed with relief, "I was just about to call you! Have you seen Chuck, he wasn't in his room this morning and he's not answering his phone!"

"Yeah, I actually just got off the phone with him," John put up a fake smile, "he had to leave early this morning. Emergency install in Santa Barbara. Special order. He'll be gone for a few days, nothing to worry about."

"Oh, okay," she nodded, obvious relief in her posture, "It's just, that's so unlike him. Chuck isn't one to just sneak off like that."

"Well, he's just full of surprises," Casey laughed, "I came by to tell you."

"Thank you, John," she smiled, "that was very thoughtful of you. Did he tell you when he's expected to come back?"

"Nothing yet, I'll give him a call later on and check in with him."

"Great, thank you," she touched his shoulder with gratitude.

 _Now, that's done._ Casey walked back into his home. Sarah was awake.

"Good, you're up," he nodded, "I just talked to the sister."

"Ellie," Sarah corrected him, "I just called the Buy More and told Big Mike that Chuck would be out for a couple of days. He's got the flu."

"He'll have a lot more than that once we find him," Casey huffed.

"Don't say that," he could hear the worry in her voice, "what's the next course of action?"

"Now, we wait for Doctors Dumb and Dumber to leave their home, so we can do a thorough sweep of Chuck's bedroom. I feel like we're missing something."

"Leave it to me," Sarah confidently stood up and walked out the door.

When Chuck came to again, he was chained to the bed. He pulled against the restraints to no avail. His heart started to beat rapidly again as he tried to recall what happened before he blacked out. He remembered shouting something at the camera about the former CIA Agent Seeley Jones. The numbers _10192000_ were engraved in his head now. Chuck was expecting for someone to come greet him, when a white gas started spilling from the vents and eventually overcame him.

He wasn't going to make the first move this time, he'd wait till they approached him. Chuck was kidnapped for a reason, they weren't just going to leave him in his padded cell and let him die. It took nearly fifteen minutes for the door to creak open. Chuck had calmed down at that point, but now his heart was hammering away in his chest, and his mind was reeling.

"Mr. Bartowski," a deep voice said, "we know you're the Intersect. That little demonstration you gave us before was merely a confirmation of our suspicions. Thank you for that."

 _Damn it._ Chuck didn't think it through. Here he was flashing and spouting out top secret information about disgraced CIA agents to his very kidnappers! He wasn't fearless like Casey or clever like Sarah. He worked at a Buy More and did installs, he was no spy.

"Who-who are you?" Chuck looked at him with fearful eyes.

The man tapped his vest with a gloved hand. Chuck's eyes darted to the white numbers in the gear.

 _10192000._

"You're-you're Seeley Jones?"

"You said some pretty interesting things about me, Chuck," Seeley had a dangerous smile on his lips as he approached Bartowski.

"Oh-oh, that? That-that was nothing, it was the tranquilizer, it was still wearing off. I was just blabbering away-"

"Shut up."

"Yes, sir."

"You've got a head full of secrets, Chuck."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't humor me, Chuck," Jones rolled his eyes with amusement, "Now, I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?" Chuck thrashed against his bonds, "No, I don't want anything from you, just let me go! I'm begging you!"

"You can beg me all you want, Chuck," Seeley chuckled and he stood right above Chuck now, "but you haven't even heard my offer yet."

Chuck was about to open his mouth to protest, but he stopped. What was Seeley Jones about to propose?

"How would you like all of those secrets out of your head?"

Casey and Sarah searched Chuck's bedroom again. It was just as they'd left it earlier, it had to be or else any potential evidence could be damaged.

Sarah was scanning the comic books one more time. Casey had already dismantled and reassembled Chuck's computer four times. She dusted for fingerprints repeatedly, and he had checked all the doors for any sign of a forced entry. They still had nothing.

"Casey, we're wasting time looking at nothing when we could be out in the streets looking for Chuck!" Sarah shouted.

"Cool it, Walker," John clenched his jaw, "Beckman's team will be here any minute. We need to find any scrap of evidence before they do."

"We've been looking for hours, there's nothing," she huffed, "I say we go talk to Beckman again and-"

"And say what?" Casey growled, "'Sorry, General, I refuse to accept your orders and I'm going AWOL to find Chuck. I'll let you know how it goes.' Come on, Walker, you're better than that."

"But Chuck-"

"-Is going to have to endure whatever's happening to him for a little while longer," Casey said with a finalizing tone, "The General was right, you're too close to him."

"Stop saying that!" she bit back, "I'm perfectly capable of performing my job."

"Yeah, but can you do it effectively?"

She didn't have an answer, "Look, Chuck means a lot to me, okay? He's a reminder of who I am without Bryce, he's a reminder that I can be better, a reminder that I don't have to be heartless. He's shown me how to live my life, to have fun. I promised, _I promised,_ that I'd protect him and now he's probably out there being tortured or worse and wondering why I didn't fulfill my promise. That eats away at me, Casey."

He didn't respond.

"Casey?" Sarah furrowed her brows and turned around.

Turns out the NSA agent didn't hear a word she said. He was looking intently at Chuck's bed sheets.

"John? What's going on?" she felt a rush within her and stood by his side. He was carrying a little vial in his hands and snipped off a piece of the sheet.

"Why are you cutting Chuck's bedsheet? Ellie could notice!"

"Look at this," he dropped the fabric in the glass vial and held it up for Sarah to see.

"Is that...?"

"Yes, it is."

"Oh my God, Casey. Do you know what this means?"

He exhaled deeply, "Yes, I do."

"Come on," Sarah clenched her jaw, "let's go talk to General Beckman."

 **Chapter 4 coming soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you again for the support from my fans out there! You guys are amazing, keep it coming! I love to see it! Enjoy! Leave me a fav/follow/review!**

"What does the test say?" Sarah paced behind Casey. The NSA agent was looking through a microscope at the sheet fabric they just acquired from Chuck's bedroom.

"Give me a minute."

Sarah tapped her foot against the floor impatiently.

"Well?"

"We were right," he huffed and sat back in his chair.

"We are?"

"Yes," he repeated, "it's got to be them. There's no other explanation at the moment."

"But why? Why would they take Chuck? They have no reason to!"

Casey didn't look too keen to elaborate, "Did you get General Beckman on the phone?"

"Yes, she's waiting for us to answer."

The NSA agent nodded tersely and the monitor illuminated. General Beckman appeared. She was at her desk as usual, wearing her decorated uniform.

"Agent Walker, Major Casey," the General started, "what is this all about?"

"General," Sarah spoke with a stern voice, "we believe we have identified who Chuck's kidnappers might be."

"Oh, _really_ , Agent Walker?" she glared at them both disapprovingly, "Even after my explicit instructions that you were supposed to leave it alone? My team is working diligently-"

"What team?" Sarah scoffed, " _We_ are his team! Chuck is our responsibility, you can't hand this matter over to someone else. They don't know him like we do."

"I assure you, Agent Walker, we have _very_ capable personnel here," her tone was icy. Sarah was crossing dangerous territory, "Chuck is a government asset, the most valuable one we have. Do you expect me to stand by and not react? Definitely not, and I shouldn't be explaining this to you."

"Then what actions are you taking to find him?" Casey spoke for the first time since the conversation began.

"That knowledge is above your paygrade and ranking, Major."

"I beg to differ, General," Casey said through clenched teeth, "because there is no team working to find him. You were the one who ordered the kidnapping."

Sarah gave her a hard glare, analyzing the General's every movement.

Beckman stopped talking, she stared back coldly.

"And what evidence supports your wild allegation, Major Casey?"

"This," he held up the small vial with the ripped piece of cloth in it. The cloth had a dark spot on it, the very key characteristic that made Casey notice it in the first place, "it's a piece of Bartowski's bedsheet. When I saw it, I was easily able to identify its origin."

Sarah stepped forward, "There is a droplet on the piece of fabric, dark in color. If it was water, it would have dried hours ago, as would most liquids, but this is a much thicker component."

"Tranquilizer," the NSA agent continued, "Standard CIA tranquilizer, to be exact. I ran a few tests and my suspicions were confirmed. It was a team of CIA operatives that abducted Chuck Bartowski."

"You were telling us to stay put, to delay our search because you didn't want us to catch on. It's over, General, we know."

"There was no forensics team on their way," Casey sneered, "you betrayed your agents and your country. You should be ashamed of yourself and stripped of your rank, General."

General Beckman was as still as a statue for a moment. No one said a word.

Then, she began to clap.

"Bravo," she said, unsmiling, "thank you for the very amusing demonstration."

" _Amusing demonstration?_ " Sarah gawked angrily, "General, you have committed a crime!"

"I am going to say this once and only once," Beckman pursed her lips, "I will not deny that the substance you found staining Chuck's bedsheet was a standard-issue CIA tranquilizer. I will admit that there was no forensics team coming, but I will not stand here and be accused of breaking my country's laws, do I make myself clear?"

Both Sarah and Casey looked towards the floor, "Yes, ma'am."

"Chuck was abducted by a squad of ex-CIA agents."

"Ex-CIA?" Sarah repeated.

"Yes, Agent Walker," Beckman continued, "I did not inform you or Major Casey about the situation, because the matter was highly classified."

"That's why you kept it from us?" Walker questioned, "But, General, we are Chuck's handlers, we deserve to know."

"You may be deserving of it, Agent Walker, but that is not what determines the distribution of classified information."

She looked to the floor.

"However, because you both were so _keen_ to play 'detective', I must tell you," she looked at the pair sternly, "Agent Seeley Jones was a remarkable agent for the CIA. He performed and headed the most confidential of missions, and was one of our most trusted and favorable agents. Unfortunately, Agent Jones was given a dishonorable discharge. Now, he finds work as a gun for hire."

"You let him go?" Casey challenged, "An ex-agent with the most valuable information on classified CIA missions was just able to walk out of the agency with a dishonorable discharge?"

"Assassination attempts were made," Beckman said tersely, "all of them failed. Six agents died trying to take out Jones, to no avail."

"Why would he take Chuck?" Sarah questioned.

"Jones had all types of connections in the CIA and multiple government agencies. Jones is the most coveted marksman in the business because of his vast knowledge of our operations and his particular scorn for the CIA and myself. I am sure our enemies had suspicions about Bartowski's role as the Intersect and hired him for an extraction. Over the years, Jones has stolen from various CIA bases. That must be where he acquired CIA standard-issue tranquilizer."

"We need to find him," Sarah looked to Casey defiantly, "do we have any idea where he is?"

"Yes, but I am afraid your involvement in this mission is terminated from this point forward," Beckman said firmly, "Major Casey, Agent Walker, we will find Chuck Bartowski, but I am employing our best troops to follow through with this operation. I will give you word once he has been retrieved. I thank you for your persistence regarding your asset's disappearance, but leave it to me."

"What? No!" Sarah protested, "General, Casey and I are capable enough to find Agent Jones!"

"General, even I think this is absurd," Casey exhaled deeply.

"Your suggestions are noted," Beckman dismissed their complaints, "but my orders are clear. I will have agents there to monitor your actions and to prevent another adventurous excursion on your behalfs. That is all."

"General-"

" _That is all."_

And the monitor went black.

"What do you mean?" Chuck stammered, looking at Seeley Jones. He just made him an unbelievable offer, one that Chuck had been trying to achieve for months, "You can get this thing out of my head?"

"Easy, Chuck, easy," Seeley smiled widely. Chuck was like a fish caught on his line.

"H-how?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out, Chuck," Jones teased, "I just need a yes or no."

"Look, people have tried, okay? I can't get it out, it's there forever."

"They haven't tried hard enough, Chuck!" Jones shouted excitedly, "We are on the verge of a breakthrough, we can help you."

"Who is 'we'?"

"Again, that's for me to know-"

"-and for me to find out, right, got it," Chuck breathed heavily, "look, you guys don't want to hurt me, right?"

"Absolutely not," Jones purred like a cat.

"Then just give me a phone call, just one," Bartowski bargained, "let me call my sister at least, and tell her I'm okay."

"No can do, Chuck," Jones tutted, "I need an answer."

"Now? You need an answer now?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then-then let's talk. Get me out of these restraints first. I don't know how to fight, I'm not going to try anything. Plus, I'm pretty sure you could take me."

"That I can assure you of," Jones looked like he was itching for a fight, but kept his cool, "high orders. Restraints stay on."

"So, you won't tell me where I am, who you really are, who you work for, how you plan to get this thing out of my head, and why I'm in restraints, but I'm supposed to trust you?"

"That's the idea."

"Yeah, right," Chuck tried to act confident, "I won't do it. You can't make me, my answer is no."

"Wow," Seeley nodded and looked to the floor, "that's disappointing, Chuck, that really is. Are you sure your answer is no?"

"Positive."

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you this, Chuck."

"Tell me what?"

Jones pulled out a long knife from his belt. He held the blade up against the light, admiring the glimmer on the razor sharp steel. Chuck's eyes widened and his heart pounded. He tried to pull against his restraints, but they wouldn't budge.

Seeley pounced like a jaguar and pressed the serrated steel against Chuck's vulnerable neck. Chuck screwed his eyes shut, heart about to jump out of his chest.

"We don't take no for an answer!"

 **Chapter 5 coming soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter 5! Hope everyone enjoys! Leave me some love with a fav/follow/review!**

"I don't believe her," Sarah shook her head as she looked at Casey, "General Beckman is hiding something, John."

"She's disappointed in her failure. To lose a top agent like that to the enemy is shameful."

"He was discharged dishonorably, why?"

"I already tried accessing the files," Casey huffed, "they're under heavy lock and key. The CIA doesn't want anyone to know why Agent Jones was cut loose from the agency."

"But you know who might know?" Sarah said gravely.

"Bartowski," the NSA agent grumbled.

"Casey, we've got to do something," Walker pleaded, "Agent Seeley Jones took out six of our agents, who knows what he's doing to do to Chuck."

"Although I didn't find lots of information on Jones, I did get some intel on his former team," Casey down in front of his computer, "there were five of them, highly trained, highly dangerous associates."

"You think they're still connected to Jones?"

"He was their team leader for years, their loyalties lie with him. I won't be shocked to know that they probably still are."

"Where can we find one of his teammates?"

"Looks like one of them lives nearby," Casey scrolled some more and clicked on a profile, "Josh Martin. He lives in South County."

"Then let's go have a little talk with him," Sarah's jaw clenched and she cocked her gun. Casey smiled excitedly and followed suit. He packed his gun belt, threw on his bulletproof best, stocked himself up with various knives and weaponry.

Sarah was already at the door, "I'm going to grab some supplies. Get the car ready, we leave in fifteen minutes-"

The loud ringing of gunfire blared through the courtyard. Bullets tore through the walls of Casey's house. Windows shattered. Plaster flew through the air. Casey went diving to the ground. He looked at Walker in alarm as she was pinned against the back of the door.

"WALKER, LOOK OUT!" he shouted, but she was trapped. Gunfire rained down at all sides. The thick slab of wood was the only thing protecting her from sure death, but that wouldn't hold for long.

John went crawling across the floor. Glass punctured his skin as the bullets zipped above him. He saw Walker trying to maneuver her way to the ground, but her sleeve was caught in the doorway. When the gunfire started, Sarah was just about to exit. The door closed on the fabric of her jacket, she was caught.

"WALKER!" Casey pulled out on of his pocket knives. She turned her head and Casey slid the knife across the wood floor. She stopped it with her boot. Sarah reached down and unsheathed the blade, cutting away at the caught fabric.

When Sarah was free she fell to the floor by Casey. The NSA agent threw himself on her, protecting her from the debris of the house from the gunfire.

After a few minutes, the gunfire ceased. Casey slowly lifted himself up from the floor and Walker followed.

"We need to get out of here," Casey breathed heavily, "someone will be coming to make sure we're dead."

"You've got any ammo?" Sarah panted.

"Always."

"Let's go, I'm right behind you."

Casey nodded and darted off the ground. He went sprinting out the door, grabbing whatever weaponry he could. Sarah went to the kitchen.

"Walker, what are you doing?! Let's go!"

She emerged with a cup of water and splashed it on Casey's electrical system. Sparks flew from the machine and all of the remaining monitors went black, "Now they can't snoop around."

"That'll only delay them, they have tech like you'll never believe," Casey grumbled, "now, move it! Let's go!"

Sarah jumped out of one of the shattered window frames of Casey's damaged home. He looked around and saw that everything he owned was destroyed. John's fists clenched with anger.

"I hear footsteps," Sarah warned, "Casey, come on!"

He tore his gaze away and followed Sarah out the window.

"Are you ready, Mr. Bartowski?"

Chuck felt the black bag lift from his head. He panted heavily, eyes filled with fear. After Seeley Jones pressed the knife against his throat, Chuck nearly blacked out. That was what he was taught to do if he was tortured; Sarah gave him that lesson when he was kidnapped with her and Cole.

Chuck pretended to black out. He went limp, evened out his breathing, and kept his eyes closed. The knife tip still lingered by his neck, but Chuck continued with his act.

"Chuck?" he felt Seeley push his shoulder. He didn't move.

"Boys, get in here!" Jones shouted. The sound of boots shuffled into the padded cell. _Sounds like three or four guys. Could they be the same ones that took me?_

"What happened, boss?" one person asked.

"He passed out," Seeley sounded like he was trying to stifle a laugh. _Okay, so I'm not the manliest government asset out there,_ Chuck thought, _sue me._

"Should we begin the extraction?"

"I should think so," Jones smiled, "bag him, take him to the room. I'll be there with the doctor soon."

 _Extraction? The "room"? Doctor?_

Chuck hated doctors.

Now, he was in a strange room that looked oddly like the ones used for interrogations at a police station. There was one aluminium table and chair, handcuffs, a camera in the corner, and a glass panel in front of him. He couldn't see beyond, but the people behind it could see him. Chuck saw himself in the mirror, he looked haggard.

Yet, there was one difference with this room. There was a large projection screen to his left.

 _Keep it up, Chuck. Casey and Sarah are on their way._

"Good morning, Mr. Bartowski," Jones loomed into view, "you took a nice nap there, huh?"

Chuck wasn't laughing, "What do you want from me, Jones? I told you already, the Intersect isn't coming out of my head, it can't."

"I beg to differ, Chuck," Seeley raised a brow, "in fact, I'd like you to meet some of our medical staff. He'll tell you _all_ about the procedure."

"P-procedure?" Chuck stammered.

"Dr. Heinrich."

A man in a pale white coat entered the room. He had grey hair and sharp features. His eyes looked black, and his lips were stretched into an evil frown.

"Is this the patient?"

"Patient?!" Chuck stuttered.

"Yes, it is," Seeley motioned to Chuck, "Please, Dr., have a look."

Dr. Heinrich approached Bartowski. He grabbed his chin, stared him deep in the eyes with his black pupils. He examined his scalp, his ears, his eyes - everything.

"No, no, no need to approach!" Chuck tried to back away, but he was cuffed to the table, "I assure you, I'm just an ordinary person. I work as a technical assistant at a Buy More, nothing notable at all-"

"A fine specimen," the doctor concluded, "get him ready for the procedure. I will be back."

Dr. Heinrich exited the room, ready to scrub up for his surgery. Chuck felt sweat bead down his forehead. He felt lightheaded, like he was about to be sick. A procedure? He didn't sign up for that. He had to get out of here, pronto.

"What's the matter, Chuck? You look a little pale."

"Please," his voice was hoarse, "don't do this."

"I wish I could, but orders are orders. You're one heavy payday for me, Bartowski. My guys will be here in a minute."

Seeley started to walk out the door. That meant the procedure was going to start soon.

"No, please! Don't leave me, please! I don't want it out of my head, I have a family! Don't go, stop!"

Jones paused at the edge of the doorway and looked back at Chuck with a smile.

"My hands are tied here, bud. I wish I could help. Nighty night, Chuck" the ex-CIA agent walked out, "tell the doctor his patient is ready!"

 **Chapter 6 coming soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to everyone for waiting! Here's the next chapter, enjoy! Leave me a fav/follow/review!**

Sarah and Casey entered Castle. Walker sighed with relief as she embraced the feeling of sanctuary. John immediately gravitated towards the monitors, checking the camera feeds and security systems.

"Anything?" Walker asked.

"Nothing notable," he huffed.

Sarah stood up, but a feeling of exhaustion suddenly overtook her. Her adrenaline was starting to fade. She and Casey practically ran all the way to their safe house to avoid enemy fire. She felt light-headed, but she shook it off. Casey noticed her troubles.

"Are you okay, Walker?"

"Yeah, yeah," she gulped with uncertainty. Sarah didn't sound so convincing.

"Go clean up," Casey grunited, "I need you at full strength if we're going to go through with this mission."

Sarah looked down at her appearance. She was dirty and scuffed, her clothes were torn, and plaster dust coated her skin.

"Casey, who do you think ordered that shooting?" Walker asked, "The CIA?"

"That's definitely a possibility."

"Beckman, or ex-CIA?"

"Ex-CIA don't have that type of pull. It would have to be from an existing officer."

"Or it wasn't CIA at all?" Sarah offered.

"That's also a definite possibility."

"I hope Ellie and Devon are alright," she wrung her hands, "this one is going to be hard to explain…"

"We get Chuck back and the explaining will hardly be tough after that. They'll thank us."

"You forget they don't realize Chuck is gone. Devon and Ellie think he's doing an install out of town, and the Buy More staff think he has a bad case of the flu."

"Let them think that," Casey still stared at the monitor, "I backed up the files from my harddrive at home and sent them here. It includes the address of Josh Martin."

"One of Jones' men, right?" Sarah walked behind Casey and stared at the screen, "he lives in South County, you said?"

"Right," John nodded with a plotting smirk, "let's get suited up, Walker. Now we pay him a visit."

"Be careful what you say," she huffed, "last time we said that, bullets started flying through the sky."

"Better than what Bartowski must be going through now," he grunted.

Immediately, Sarah's face fell.

"Walker?" Casey raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, John," she tried shaking her head to clear her thoughts, "I forgot about Chuck's condition for a brief moment after the shootout…."

"Walker, keep your chin up."

"Casey...what if Chuck is...you know-"

"Stop."

"But-"

"Enough, Sarah."

She looked up. John didn't call her by her first name often.

"Bartowski is tougher than you think," he reassured, "he's holding out. Worrying about him isn't going to bring him back, it's just going to hinder your performance. Emotions dilute our logic, you have to keep them in check. We're about to cross enemy territory."

"How do you do it, John? How do you just block out your emotions?"

"I left a good future behind me when I took this job, Walker," Casey explained, "I knew that I was sacrificing a fine life for one that wasn't as fulfilling. I've done my duty for my country. That's all I need to think about when I need a reminder."

She nodded, feeling some of the strength return to her muscles and some courage build up inside her.

"You're right," she dipped her head, surprised that John Casey could actually be helpful when it came to her feelings, "Thank you, John."

He rolled his eyes, but she thought she saw a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Come on," Sarah brightened, "Josh Martin awaits."

Four agents came entering the room, they were Jones' men. The ones that helped with his abduction. They wore similar black gear as their leader. No smiles, no emotions.

"Look, guys," Chuck spoke rapidly, "I-I don't want any trouble, okay? Just let me go, you don't have to listen to Agent Jones there. This is all a big understanding, I just work at a Buy More-"

"Shut up!" one of them growled. Something hard painfully collided with the back of Chuck's skull. He shouted in agony and saw white spots dance across his vision.

 _I just suffered a head injury right before a brain surgery? Terrific._

There was no way he was coming out of this alive.

Something trickled down Chuck's neck as he kept trying to recollect his bearings from the blow. Two arms dragged him out of the chair. His listless legs slid across the tiles, as he didn't have the coherency yet to make them function properly.

"You hit him quite hard, Dan," one of the voices spoke, but it sounded distant and distorted, "he okay?"

"Of course, he's fine!"

"Oh, man, he's bleeding from the back of the head!"

Someone cursed above him. Chuck's head lolled against his chest as they men propped him up against the wall. Bartowski's tired eyes remained closed.

"It wasn't that hard!"

"The guy is about have a procedure, why did you do that?!"

"Here, let me see if he's conscious."

Someone knelt down in front of Chuck and tapped his shoulder roughly, "Hey, hey? Buddy, you okay?

He was motionless.

"Ah, no! Somebody call Seeley!"

"Come on, Dan!"

"Tommy and I will take him to his cell, come on! Grab his arms!"

Chuck felt two pairs of strong hands grab his arms. He started to be dragged across the floor, his legs in front of him, as the two ex-CIA agents navigated down the halls.

 _Left. Right. Right. Left. Long hallway. Left._

His handlers stopped abruptly and placed him against the wall.

"Watch him. I'll open the door."

Chuck heard the sound of a keypad beeping. The presence of a tall figure loomed above him.

"I can't believe Dan could be that stupid. Injuring the asset right before the procedure? Idiot."

"Seeley is going to be pissed…"

"I'll have Dan deal with that. I ain't taking the fall for that one."

Silence.

"Is he still out?"

The tall figure in front of him knelt down and patted his cheeks a few times.

"Yup, still out."

"Jesus, how hard did he hit him?"

"I don't know, but could you hurry it up? How long does it take to open a damn door?"

"I'm trying, okay? The knob won't turn right!"

"Are you kidding me? Move over, I'll do it!"

"No, I got it!"

 _Now!_ Chuck shouted in his brain. His eyes shot open and he bolted upright. He found his legs beneath him and started sprinting down the hallway.

"Hey! He's getting away! After him!"

"Calling all units! Calling all units! Asset is on the loose, asset is one the loose!"

Thankfully, Chuck had long legs. He wasn't wearing his sneakers anymore, but some weird, gripless shoe, like the ones they gave patients at mental facilities. Chuck wasn't particularly good at anything, but pretending to be passed out was something he mastered over the years with Casey and Sarah. He couldn't fight or defend himself, this was the next best thing.

 _Left. Right. Right. Left. Long hallway. Left._

He recited it in his head like a mantra. Casey and Sarah had to be on their way. He didn't know how long it had been since he was taken, but his handlers were capable of finding him. All he had to do was keep running until he could find a quiet place to hide. When his handlers came to rescue him, he'd reveal himself.

"You got this, Chuck," he muttered to himself as he continued to run down the white, pale hallways. But, the light was stinging his eyes. Certain objects were starting to blur, and he could feel himself stumble from time to time.

He reached a hand back and felt his hair. His fingers came away wet with blood.

 _Oh, no…._

He didn't do well with blood.

"Okay, Chuck, okay," he started to pant, "keep your cool, keep running. Find a place to hide-"

Something came barreling at him from the side.

Chuck felt himself go crashing to the floor. He painfully collided with the ground on his right side. It was like being hit by a dump truck.

He groaned as he tried to orientate himself. Through his swimming vision, Chuck saw a certain ex-CIA agent tower over him. Seeley Jones looked down at him predatorially, like he was an injured deer in the hands of a mountain lion.

"Tsk, tsk, Chuck," Seeley wasn't even so much as panting, "cute trick you played on my men back there."

"Thank you," Chuck groaned.

"Now," he felt one of Seeley's gloved hands grab his right ankle, "maybe I should break one of your legs? Stop you from running away again?"

"Please don't," Chuck's eyes widened. He was completely at the mercy of this deranged man.

"Are you going to play dead again?"

Chuck shook his head quickly.

"Good. The doctor is waiting."

Seeley took a step forward. He was standing right above him, his steel-toed boot perched right next to his forehead. Jones lifted the heavy shoe, ready to bring it crashing down against Chuck's head.

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait! Didn't-didn't your guys say I was going for a procedure! You'll injure my head, right? You can't do that!"  
Seeley looked down at Chuck with a maniacal smile.

"Eh, what the hell. It's not like you're going to survive the procedure anyway."

The black sole of the boot came rushing towards his forehead.

Chuck was out like a light.

 **Chapter 7 coming soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the next update! Enjoy, thank you for the love! Leave me some more with a fav/follow/review!**

Sarah and Casey silently crept up Josh Martin's driveway. He lived in a small condo, and the lights were off.

Casey gave Walker the signal to advance. She held a knife between her teeth, her free hand close to the gun on her hip. They approached the front window. Walker and Casey kept their backs against the plaster. He pulled out a smoke bomb from his utility belt as Sarah wrestled the window open with a lockpick. Casey threw the smoke bomb inside the living room. She and John soon followed.

They barged into the home, both of them pulling their weapons from their holsters, prepared for attack.

They heard coughing in the distance, along with a rustling.

"Move, move!" Casey shouted, heading in the direction of the noise.

The sound of the back door closing rang through the small home.

Sarah rounded the corner to see the silhouette of Josh Martin go crashing into the trees.

 _He is NOT getting away._ With a ferocious shout, Sarah went diving out the back door and into the leaves after Martin. Casey followed behind.

Her heart beat in her chest with anger, with passion, and with determination. Up ahead, she saw Martin go crashing from the trees to a nearby park. He hopped over the chain link fence with a few climbs, he was good and trained. If Sarah lost him in the park, then he was gone forever. She kicked it up to high gear and sprinted down the hill after him.

She twirled her dagger in her fingers and pulled her arm back. Sarah threw the knife in his direction; it went sailing through the air and glinted against the moonlight. The dagger sunk itself into his left thigh. She heard Martin's screams as he went crashing to the floor. He looked behind him to see the advancing blonde CIA agent. He desperately grappled at the grass and tried to hobble on one leg. Walker was just a few feet away when she leaped through the air and tackled the ex-CIA agent to the floor. He cushioned her fall. She heard his painful groans underneath her, but didn't feel an ounce of mercy.

John came puffing to a stop next to her, as she placed her boot on Martin's back, pinning him down.

"Nice…," he panted, "run...Walker…."

"Josh Martin?" she grit her teeth as she stared down at the writhing man.

"Ow, ow! Get the knife out, get it out!"

" _Not until you answer a few of my questions."_

"What the hell do you want, lady?!"

"I'm CIA," she spat, "I know you're background, Martin, drop the charade."

"What-what charade?"

"Tell me about Agent Seeley Jones."

"I don't know who the hell you're talking about!"

Impatient, Sarah twisted the knife in Martin's thigh.

He yelled in agony.

 _"Tell me!"_

"Fine, fine, alright!"

She eased her aggression.

"Jones was my team leader for five years, okay? I haven't had contact with him in a while, I've been out of the agency for some time. That's all I've got, that's all I know."

Sarah was still for a moment.

Then, she grabbed the knife hilt again and twisted.

Martin screamed again.

"Okay, okay! He called me about two weeks ago, t-trying to recruit me for a new job!"

"What was the job?!" Sarah yelled.

"I-I don't know-"

Twist.

"It was a kidnapping! A kidnapping of a valuable government asset of some kind! I-I didn't get the details!"

"Chuck," Casey whispered to her, confirming her suspicions of the newest intel.

"Who hired him?"

"Lady, I've given you enough, please-"

Twist.

"Walker," John grabbed her shoulder. She was taking it a little too far. Sarah didn't care. She wanted Chuck, she wanted him to be safe at home reading comics, she wanted to walk into the Buy More and see him smiling at her with that goofy grin.

"I'll remove the knife if you tell me where I can find Seeley Jones and who he's working for."

"He-he's got safe houses all over, but-but he likes to hang out at the abandoned insane asylum at the outskirts of Downtown."

"I know where that is," Casey nodded, "come on, Walker"

"Who's he working for?" Sarah pressed.

"Walker."

"Who's he working for?!"

"I don't know, I swear, I don't know," Martin panted. He looked pale on account of the blood loss, "please, just let me go…"

Sarah kept her boot on his back, but pulled the knife out. Martin yelled in pain. She fished into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone. The phone shone to life and she typed "911" into the keypad. She quickly rattled off an address to the operator.

"Paramedics are on their way. You say anything and I'll be back," Sarah promised threateningly.

Martin nodded meekly, his face still pressed against the dirt as he was slow to get up.

Casey and Sarah jogged back up the hill.

"We need a car," Walker said as they hit the street.

"That was some show back there."

"Excuse me?"

"I thought you were going to rip him apart."

"He knew where Chuck was being held, Casey, what's your point?"

"My point is that I've never seen you like that before, Walker. Are you sure you're okay to continue? Or are your feelings for Bartowski going to-"

"Let me get one thing clear," Sarah hissed as she sized up Casey. He eyed her warily, "I do not have any feelings for Chuck Bartowski. He is my responsibility and it's my job to bring him back. Is that clear?"

Casey was at a loss for words. His eyes gravitated towards the pavement, her glare too intense.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good," she stepped back as sirens started to sound in the distance, "let's go to Downtown."

 **Chapter 8 coming soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Enjoy this chapter! Leave me a fav/follow/review!**

Chuck's eyes fluttered open. A bright light invaded his vision. He closed his eyes, to protect them from the blinding pain. The outlines of objects were blurred, and undistinguished noises rang in his ears.

He felt hands touching him around his shoulders and chest. Chuck groaned and tried to lift his head. That was a mistake. A pounding headache rocked through his brain. His forehead felt like it had a tangle with a jackhammer for a few hours.

 _Come on, Chuck, get up,_ he urged. Something in his distant consciousness told him it was urgent he get up and flee. He couldn't remember why or how, but it was a persistent sensation.

He braced himself yet again and tried to sit upright. His vision swam and a nausea overtook his body. He could feel his skin go pale and a cold sweat break out across his body. When his eyes focused, he noticed he was in a white room, much like a hospital room.

"What?" he squinted, trying to orientate himself, "What's going on?"

There were two petite older female women who were in the middle of dressing him into a hospital gown. They tied the strings behind his neck and ushered him back under the bed covers. Chuck was too weak and and incoherent to react. He might have slightly batted at one of the nurses with a blundering, heavy hand, but she carefully rucked it under the sheets.

"Ah, Mr. Bartowski," a new voice sounded in the doorway, "you're awake."

Chuck turned his head towards the sound. It was a tall man in heavy black gear. He should've recognized him, he knew he did….

"Seeley Jones," he remembered, "what-where am I?"

"After you took your nice nap-"

"Which was because of you," Chuck narrowed his eyes in slight anger, feeling the memories trickle back, "you-you hit me with your boot."

"Yes," Seeley nodded, looking down at his shining steel-toed shoe, "that's besides the point. Now that you've so generously volunteered to remove the Intersect from your mind, we shall begin the procedure."

"I didn't volunteer for anything," Chuck's voice rose, "you kidnapped me!"

The moment he yelled, he regretted it. A blinding pain engulfed his head and he groaned painfully. His body hit the pillows again, as he waited for the feeling to pass.

Jones waited patiently.

"Details, details," the ex-CIA agent approached with a smile, "the doctor is nearly ready for you. In the meantime, don't strain yourself. Get some more rest."

"Wait," Chuck grabbed Seeley by the arm. Jones stiffened and looked at Chuck dangerously. He didn't care, "am I-am I going to...you know...make it out of this thing?"

"I'm surprised to see you so accepting of this procedure, Mr. Bartowski."

"Do I have a choice?" he laughed defeatedly, "you've got me trapped here. I've tried escaping and look where that got me," he referred to his head wound, "just answer my question."

"No, Chuck," Seeley was emotionless, "you will likely not survive the operation."

He gulped, fearing that much, "I just have one request."

"You are in no position to be making any requests, Mr. Bartowski."

"Just grant me this much, okay?" he pressed, "my sister and brother-in-law, can you let them know? Not-not that I was kidnapped by an ex-CIA syndicate to remove a government computer program from my brain, but-but that I was in an accident of some kind, and that I love them and I'm sorry."

Seeley looked down at the helpless Chuck Bartowski in bed, injured, and afraid. Yet, he was still thinking of his family's well-being. Those were the qualities of brave men, those who faced probable death with selflessness and honor.

Pathetic.

Seeley smiled maliciously. He tore away from Chuck's grip and walked out of the doorway without another word. Chuck sighed desperately as he watched the ex-CIA agent leave the room.

"That's it," Sarah eyed a dilapidated building from the passenger seat window of a car Casey and her stole, "that's the building Martin said Jones hides out in."

"Come on, let's get geared up," Casey opened the driver door and rounded to the trunk. Sarah followed.

The back compartment looked like a mini army arsenal. Casey wasn't modest with his weapons. Both agents strapped on protective gear, then armed themselves with weapons of their choosing. Sarah pulled her hair back in a ponytail. Her skin was prickling knowing Chuck was so close, but she had to calm herself. She couldn't go barging in just yet, but she'd want nothing more than to gun down any fiend in there hurting her asset.

"I've got a gameplan," John spoke to Walker quickly, "I'll take in the big guns and take the front entrance. Meanwhile, you enter from the roof and work your way down. I'll meet you in the middle."

"Okay," she nodded, "will you be alright by yourself?"

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a crooked look.

"Right, sorry," Sarah cracked a smile, "I assume their control room is somewhere near the top."

"Yes," Casey confirmed, "their security level is the basement. They'll come after me first since I'm the closest, but they'll find you soon."

"Okay, so I'll have to hit the control room as soon as possible. Take out their cameras."

"Yes, you've got to be quick. They'll have backup power up within a few minutes. That gives you a small window to get Bartowski and book it."

"You'll meet us in the middle?"

Casey nodded.

"What if Chuck is injured, what if he can't walk?"

"Improvise," he grunted, "I called one of my buddies in the Air Force. He'll have a helicopter waiting for us when we get out."

"Anything else I should be aware of?"

"The place used to be a crazy house," John explained, "lots of cells, lots of locked rooms. Chuck could be in any one of them, so you've got to find a way to isolate Chuck's location. You don't have time to be knocking down every door."

"Got it," Sarah nodded with determination, "I'll figure out a way."

"Be sure that you do," he locked and loaded a magazine in a large assault rifle, "wait for me to make an entrance and lure the security my way. Then head to the roof."

"Good luck," she wished the NSA agent as he stealthily approached the crumbling entrance.

Sarah sat by herself by their stolen car for a few minutes. She was waiting for Casey's signal. Her heart was beating abnormally fast, it was never this bad in their previous missions.

"Calm down, Sarah, calm down," she growled at herself, "you're going to get Chuck back, he's going to be okay."  
Something in her heart still tingled with fear.

Gunfire started to blast not too far away. That was her signal. Sarah saw heavily armed men go running towards Casey's location. They definitely were in the right place.

She sprinted across the gravel towards the building's rear. No security lingered, Casey managed to lure them all away. She saw a rickety fire escape cling to the side of the building. Sarah took the rusty stairs two at a time. They weren't near any civilian-heavy areas, the cops wouldn't be here for a little while since no one would be reporting it yet.

By the time she made it to the roof, a light sweat layered her skin, and her chest fell with heavy breaths. Her eyes scanned the roof, and she saw a small structure with an old door pressed against the side of it. That was her way in. Sarah sprinted over and gripped the doorknob. It wasn't opening. She grunted with frustration and tried to break away the years of rust that blocked the hinges. With one last heavy heave, she was able to break open the door. It screeched against the concrete, but she was able to slide through the open crack and fly down the stairs to the top floor.

The interior was worlds away from the condition of the building's exterior. Inside, the technology was state-of-the art, the hallways and floors were clean and sturdy, and a full staff worked inside the building. Sarah peaked through the door leading to the hallway. She saw doctors and nurses in scrubs walking up and down the hallway. The place looked like a hospital, why was an ex-CIA agent hiding out in a hospital disguised as an old, abandoned building?

She would ask questions later, right now she needed to get Chuck. A young woman who looked like a nurse was just about to pass her hiding spot. The hallway was empty, and she was facing the security camera's blindspot. Sarah waited for the exact moment and she struck. She grabbed the nurse's shoulder and yanked her through the door into her hiding place. Her hand covered the nurse's mouth, who struggled and kicked under her strong grip. Sarah placed her in a standard chokehold until she was unconscious.

Sarah swapped her clothing with the nurse. Now, she was clad in pale blue scrubs with a face mask. She hid the nurse's unconscious body in the corner, and stepped outside.

 _Where could Chuck be?_ She thought. Walker passed by a few doors and windows, but she stopped when she passed an operating room, _they are performing surgeries here? What is this place…?_

Her heart beat like a racehorse. She needed to find Chuck, she needed to find him _now._

"Excuse me?" Sarah put on a smile and asked a passing doctor, "I'm new here, I was wondering where I can talk to any sort of management?"  
He gave her a hard glare, "What code group are you?"

"Pardon?" she felt herself sweat nervously.

"Your code group?"

She quickly looked down at her badge, "Delta 5."

""Hmm," he eyed her warily, "you have clearance on this level, but Delta quarters are a floor below us."

"And the control room?"

"What do you need the control room for?" his voice was stern.

"Well, my keycard is malfunctioning, probably because it's my first day and I'm not registered yet. The personnel in the control room can fix it for me."

"Floor 3."

She was on Floor 6. Sarah saw the number when she was coming downstairs from the roof.

"Thank you very much," she smiled and batted her eyelashes, "just one more question, I think I am assigned to scrub in for a surgery, where can I find the schedule?"

"My, my, did they teach you nothing on your first day?" he sounded frustrated, "I'll need to have word with the Delta 5 management. The OR Board is right down the hall. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a surgery to perform."

The doctor roughly passed by, scraping her shoulder as he walked curtly down the hall. Sarah walked quickly down the corridor until she reached the OR Board. The reason she wanted to see it was because she didn't want to realize her worst fears. What if Chuck's name was on that list.

Her eyes scanned the chart, looking at patient names, doctor names, and OR numbers.

"Please don't be on the list, please don't be on the list, please don't be on the list," she whispered to herself as her eyes darted from line to line. Sarah started reaching the end of the list, and her heart was just about to give out with relief, until she saw it.

 _No._

 **CHARLES I. BARTOWSKI; DR. KLAUS HEINRICH; 3:30 PM; O.R. 5**

A cold feeling of dread washed through her. She glanced down at her watch with blurry vision. It was 3:18 PM. When she looked up, Sarah was overcome by nausea and the hallway was spinning. She staggered down the hall until she came across a restroom. Walker jumped inside and locked the door clumsily.

She was hyperventilating. This had never happened before, why wasn't she keeping a grip!

Sarah steadied her breathing slightly and spoke into her earpiece.

"Casey," she panted, "Casey!"

"What is it, Walker?!" the static reply came back. Casey sounded like he was a little preoccupied as the sound of bullets and gunshots raged through her the speaker.

"It's Chuck," she gulped, "they-they have him, and they're going to kill him."

 **Chapter 9 coming soon!**


	9. Chapter 9

**This is a pretty long chapter for you guys! Hope you all enjoy! Leave me a fav/follow/review!**

"Well, then get in there, Walker, and do your job!"

"Casey," she was panting, almost hyperventilating, "I-I can't, what if he's dead? I can't see him like that, I'll-"

"Sarah!" Casey shut her up, "I am not down her absorbing enemy fire and luring security off of your back just so you can stay up there and cry about it! Rescuing Bartowski is the mission, goddamnit, so hike up your skirt and follow through with your mission!"

Sarah closed her eyes, starting to feel some courage flow through her. More gunshots and shouts rang through her earpiece.

"Whether you have feelings for Chuck or not," John continued, "he needs you now more than ever, Walker! Don't let him down!"

 _Don't let him down._

Sarah felt a fire burn inside her. With a ferocious growl, Sarah went sprinting down the hall. Nurses and doctors looked at her in shock as she barreled down the hallway to O.R. 5.

She reached the double doors leading into her desired location. Sarah took a deep breath, analyzing her options. She couldn't barge in guns blazing, that would put Chuck in more danger. She could go in pretending to be a scrub nurse and somehow find a way to take out the medical crew. Yet, that choice was very open-ended and with lots of potential mistakes. Besides, how could she take out an entire medical staff in a small room with cameras and little weapons. No, she had a different idea…

Sarah straightened her surgical mask, and entered the operating room.

Then, she saw him.

Walker had to try her absolute hardest not to rush forward and embrace Chuck.

He was lying on the operating table, unconscious. An anesthesiologist had probably already put him under for their sick surgery. An IV protruded from his elbow, and he was wearing a pale blue hospital gown. His curly brown hair looked matted and dirty, and a dark purple bruise spread across his temple and forehead.

"Excuse me?"

Sarah's eyes averted from Chuck to the doctor talking to her. He had a heavy German accent. His coat said "Dr. Heinrich."

"Can I help you?"

Dr. Heinrich, two scrub nurses, an anesthesiologist, and the co-surgeon all looked at her expectantly. She tried not to look at Chuck.

"I was sent by Delta 5 management," she gulped, trying to come up with a suitable answer on the fly, "to assist with the surgery."

"We have a capable staff," Heinrich disregarded her, "you may go."

The medical staff began to continue their work now that Heinrich had given his orders. Sarah was not to be ignored.

"Actually, I think you could use my help," she said with slight attitude.

"Watch your tone," Heinrich growled at her like a dog, "know who you are addressing."

"I don't work for you, I work for Delta 5. Now, when they tell me to do something, I do it. I don't need your permission. This is a highly classified government asset on our operating table. If you make a mistake, the blame is on _you_ , doctor, followed by serious consequences. Now, don't tell me an extra set of eyes wouldn't hurt you in the long run."

Heinrich was silent for a moment. Sarah felt her breathing stop.

"Fine," he scoffed, "watch from the back. If I see you by my table, I'll cut you up next."

Sarah inwardly celebrated her triumph. She quietly walked towards the heart monitor and other machinery.

"Now," Heinrich began, "for the medical record, I am Dr. Klaus Heinrich. I am to perform a full frontal lobotomy of the patient, Charles I. Bartowski. Mr. Bartowski, more covertly known as 'The Intersect', is a very important government asset for the United States of America. His mind holds thousands of highly classified U.S. government secrets, but his 'flashes' are sparse, random, and unpredictably determined by emotion. To become a more efficient 'Intersect', I shall lobotomize the frontal lobe of the patient's brain. This will remove any form of personality from the patient, which will not allow emotions to dictate the actions of the 'Intersect.' When the procedure is complete, I shall perform a test that will determine whether the 'Intersect' is still functional. I would like to note that the operation has considerable risk, but Mr. Bartowski's personality will not survive. I begin the surgery now at 3:28 PM."

Sarah felt herself go pale. They were going to perform a lobotomy on Chuck, that meant no more goofy smile, funny sarcasm, and little mannerisms she had grown to love from her asset.

Dr. Heinrich picked up a shiny metal scalpel from his surgical tray. His hand slowly descended near Chuck's bruised temple.

Suddenly, a loud alarm began to blare throughout the building. Dr. Heinrich dropped the scalpel. All the personnel covered their ears as red lights flashed throughout the operating room.

"What is that!?"

"That's the fire alarm!"

"Do we continue with the procedure?!"

While Sarah was covertly standing at the edge of the room, she had managed to grab hold of the cauterization tool. Walker quietly pressed a pad of gauze against the tool's tip. It didn't take much, just a small spark. The sound would be drowned out by the beeps of heart monitors and other machinery. The gauze helped the spark grow, and soon, smoke started to float near the smoke alarm. Hence, the fire alarm.

"Hurry, collect the patient! Somebody go outside and see what is the cause of all this!" Heinrich bellowed.

Then, Sarah struck. While the medical staff was crouching to the floor, in a panicked disarray, she grabbed a scalpel from the surgical tray and advanced. She floored the two scrub nurses, smacked the co-surgeon's head against the tile, took out the anesthesiologist, and looked down at the cowering Heinrich. He stared up at her with fearful eyes as she removed her surgical mask and twirled her knife in her fingers.

"Please, please!" he stammered, "I-I know very capable people, they can pay you!"

"I don't want your money," she spat, "I just want Chuck."

With that, she twirled with a hefty roundhouse kick and her shoe collided with Dr. Heinrich's cheek and temple. He went flying to the floor, unmoving.

"Chuck!" Sarah dropped the scalpel, and rushed to the operating table, "Chuck, are you alright?"

He was still unconscious from the anesthesia.

"Chuck, come on, wake up!" she shook his shoulders, very aware of the alarms blaring throughout the building.

With the fire alarm, the security would be patrolling the entire building now and would abandon Casey. That put her and Chuck in more danger.

Sarah ran towards the medical cart and saw a large assortment of medicines, pills, ointments, and more. From past experience, she remembered that Flumenzil was a good counteragent to a sedative. She scoured the racks and saw the bottle. Sarah reached for a syringe and pulled back the plunger. Once the syringe was full, Sarah ran back to Chuck and stuck it in his IV. The medicine flowed through the the tube and into Chuck's body.

Sarah stood by his side, motionless, unbreathing. Within seconds, Chuck gasped awake. To Sarah, it felt like hours. He flew to a sitting position, the medicine taking hold in full effect. He looked wildly around the room then grimaced in pain when the motion of his head disturbed his injury.

"Chuck, Chuck!" she tried to grab his attention. He was moaning and mumbling something to himself. His eyes were screwed shut and he shook his head back and forth. When she realized he wasn't listening, Sarah gripped both sides of his face and turned his head to directly face hers. His brown eyes looked deep into her blue eyes. She missed those eyes, that stare, those curls, and that smile.

"Chuck, can you hear me? Are you okay?" she feared the worst. What if he didn't recognize her? What if they altered his brain, and he wasn't her Chuck anymore? It looked like he was concentrating hard on her face. He was absorbing her eyes, her hair, her cheeks, her smile. His pupils were dilated, and he swayed groggily, the anesthesia still clinging to him.

"Please, Chuck," she gasped, "don't you recognize me…?"

He blinked a few more times then looked at her again. This time his eyes lit up and his lips stretched into a smile.

"S-Sarah?"

Her heart melted with relief. She smiled and laughed and pulled him in for a hug. His hands wrapped around her as well, as he hugged her tightly. His chest heaved with relief and she heard him whisper quietly to himself.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…"

"You're safe now," she rubbed his back, "Casey and I are going to get you out of here, okay? Can you stand?"

"Yeah, yeah, I think so," he nodded shakily as they pulled apart. Chuck used Sarah for support as he pushed himself off the bed. His legs felt like jelly underneath him, but he was able to right himself after a few wobbly seconds.

"Come on," Sarah walked them to the door. Chuck was much taller than her, and most of his weight was pressed against her body, "I've got an escape route. Casey is going to have to meet us up there. He's got a helicopter on its way."

"Good," Chuck nodded, "it wouldn't be Casey without a huge rescue in a dramatic fashion."

She laughed in relief, happy Chuck was still cracking jokes. That was a good could never kill that within him. But, she knew it might not last. Right now, the adrenaline was just kicking in. When that wore off, who knew what Chuck Bartowski would emerge as...

"Look, the medicine I gave you is going to wear off soon, okay?" she informed him, "after that, you're going to be very tired, but we just have to make it to the roof. After that, we're home free, you can sleep, and we'll get you home. Trust me."

"I've never stopped trusting you, Sarah," he breathed in her ear. She felt her skin tingle as his breath made her hair tickle her cheek, "if anyone can do it, you can, I believe in you."

"Good," she braced herself, "we're going to jump out in 5….4….3….2….1!"

Sarah plowed through the double doors, Chuck lagging slightly He tried his hardest to keep up, but his legs were still trying to orientate themselves. The hallway was deserted now, but the floor was strewn with papers and fallen medical carts. Red lights flashed throughout the corridor and the alarms increased in volume.

Chuck held his head in pain and he sank to his knees. The sound of the alarms was making his head throb, irritating the wound to his temple and forehead.

"Come on, Chuck, I know it hurts, but we have to keep moving! The route is just down the hall!" Sarah tugged at his arm, "I'm sorry, I want to help you, but this is the only way!"

Chuck stayed down for a few more seconds, then looked at her with determination in his eyes. He staggered to his feet and ran after Sarah. Down the hall was the doorway that led to the roof.

"BARTOWSKI!"

Chuck screeched to a stop, eyes wide with fear. Sarah stopped too, wondering what was wrong. She looked down the hall, and her mouth dropped. A tall, built man in heavy black gear was prying open the elevator doors with his bare hands. He had a malicious glint in his eyes, and an evil smile on his face.

"Oh no," Chuck whispered to himself, still frozen in place.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

Sarah didn't take that as a good sign. She grabbed Chuck's arm and went sprinting down the hall. Chuck was forced to behind her. Sarah recognized the man, that was ex-CIA agent Seeley Jones; she recalled his features from the file Beckman showed them yesterday morning.

"Sarah, he's gaining on us!" Chuck panted. His handler warned him that his medicine would be wearing off soon, and indeed she was right. All of this chasing and running was making his body burn the medicine off quicker. His eyelids started to feel heavy, and he felt the hallway teeter beneath him.

Seeley Jones, however, was a lethally trained, full-strength _warrior_ ready to tear Chuck apart. Sarah knew it was difficult for Chuck to continue. She ran behind him, pushing him forward slightly, then kicking and throwing objects towards Jones. He dodged, hopped, and pressed forward, maybe a 1,000 feet away.

"There's the door, Chuck!" Sarah stared dead ahead, "I'll stall him, you just get to the roof!"

He nodded in understanding and slid to a stop by the door. He fell to his knees but turned the knob. The door opened and a flight of stairs went up to another door with daylight peeking underneath it. That was the entrance to the roof.

Meanwhile, Sarah stood her ground. She planted her foot on the ground directly in front of Chuck, protecting him from the murderous ex-agent closing in. She reached to her belt and pulled out four throwing knives. Sarah twirled them between her fingers, aimed, and let go. The dagger went sailing through the air, straight to Jones.

He saw the first one coming and slid to the floor. The knife went sailing overhead. Sarah then pulled her arm back and launched the next one through the air. It was aimed lower.

Seely went careening to the left, and the dagger missed its mark.

Sarah grunted with frustration and looked behind her for a quick second. Chuck was stumbling up the stairs towards the door to the roof. Sarah released her third dagger. Jones winked at her before sliding to the floor again, but this time, Sarah was ready. She threw the fourth one in rapid succession, aimed towards the floor. Seeley's sliding body wasn't able to prepare for that knife, as it sunk itself deep into his thigh. He yelled in shock and pain and tumbled slightly.

Good, that slowed him down a bit. Sarah ran up the stairs, closing the door behind her. She pulled her leg back and started kicking at the doorknob, until it went flying off the doorframe. A little bit of hope surged within her, they were going to pull this off. Taking the steps two at a time, Sarah caught up with Chuck who was just a few steps from the top. He as clearly struggling. His forehead dripped with sweat as he crawled up the steps. Sarah knew his medicine was fading; she draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled him up the rest of the way.

The loud sound of wood cracking echoed below. Sarah turned around in shock as a large, wide fissure split into the wooden door. Seeley's face poked through like it was a scene from a horror movie.

Sarah reached for the door in front of her that would lead to the roof. She pulled against the knob, but it wouldn't budge. With a groan of frustration, she remembered that the rusted door was also difficult to open on her way in.

Meanwhile, Chuck went limp on the floor by her feet.

"Chuck!" she shouted, "Stay with me Chuck!"

He moaned lightly, the only indication he was alive.

Sarah began to ram at the door with her shoulder. The metal slowly screeched against the floor, opening inch by inch. Seeley fit a hand through the large crack, started to forcibly climb his way through.

"Come on, Chuck!" he growled maniacally, "I only want what's best for you!"  
Sarah felt herself burn with anger. She wanted to go down there, punch him, hurt him, but Chuck was her main priority.

Already, the sound of helicopter blades started to sound nearby.

With one last heave, Agent Walker went tumbling out onto the roof. When she looked back at the door, she realized she tore it off its hinges. Chuck stirred when the bright light of day hit his eyes. He lifted his head and shook off his exhaustion, regaining some strength.

Sarah helped him to his feet.

The helicopter was lowering itself onto the rooftop.

Chuck shielded his eyes from the sun, but was laughing with relief.

The mission was over, they had rescued Chuck-

Chuck felt something tug him backward, and somebody disappear from his left side. He looked, but Sarah was gone. He suddenly felt cold, exposed, as dread filled inside of him. Chuck turned around to see Seeley Jones with Sarah Walker in a headlock. His elbow was crushing her windpipe, and she tried to fight under his grip. Jones pressed the bloody knife from his thigh right under her chin, ready to slash it upwards and kill her.

All of his exhaustion disappeared. Chuck felt anger and defiance rage inside of him.

"NO!" he shouted, "Let her go!"

"Nice plaything you got here, Chuck!" Seeley laughed with crazy glee, "I just might have to keep her for myself!"

"Chuck…." Sarah choked out, "go…."

"I am not leaving you!" he yelled with desperation, "Jones, stop it! You want me, take me!"

"No-" Sarah shouted, but was cut off when Jones' elbow continued to cut off her airflow.

"I've had enough of your little tricks and games, Bartowski!" spit flew from Seeley's mouth like a wild dog, "now, that I've got your attention, let's have a little fun!"

Chuck gulped, eyes only on Sarah. Her face was turning purple, as she continued to struggle under his massive grip.

"Walk to the ledge over there."

"What?" Chuck's voice sounded small.

"Go to the ledge!"

Chuck flinched slightly, but slowly began to walk towards the roof's edge. Seeley walked forward, Sarah's legs dragging with him.

"Chuck-" she tried to call out again, but coughed and gagged instead.

"Sarah!" Chuck felt his heart tear.

"STAND ON THE LEDGE, CHUCK!"

He took a wavering step forward, but managed to right himself on the small ledge of the rooftop. He tried not to look down at the street below, but his stomach turned with nausea.

"If we can't have the Intersect, then neither can you or the CIA!" Jones bellowed, "They turned on me, they used me!"

"Then they must've had good reason!" Chuck's voice trembled with fear, "Look at what you're doing now, Jones, you think it's such a surprise that the CIA turned you away!"

"There's no excuses!" he yelled back, "You jump, or she dies!"

Sarah couldn't talk, but she frantically shook her head side to side.

"Just let her go, we can talk about this!"

"No more talking! If you haven't jumped on the count of three, I'm going to crush your little lady here to death!"

"Chuck-" Sarah tried to plea.

"ONE!"

Chuck felt a knot tangle itself in his chest, but he turned forward, facing the roof's edge.

"TWO!"

He turned his head around and looked Sarah deep in the eyes. She was crying.

"I love you, Sarah."

"THREE!"

Chuck closed his eyes, bent his knees, and prepared to jump to his death.

 **Chapter 10 coming soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's the final chapter! Thank you to my loyal fans, this was a fun ride! Leave me a fav/follow/review when you are finished!**

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for Sarah. One moment she was home free, she and Chuck running to their rescue helicopter hovering just a few feet away. Next, she felt a strong force pull back her hair, and an arm crush her throat. She saw Chuck turn around, eyes filled with fear as Seeley Jones made him walk to the roof's edge.

Her vision was turning red, her chest heaved due to lack of oxygen, but tears streamed down her face when she saw Chuck say "I love you." Then, he turned around, faced the street, bent his legs, and leaned forward.

Her fingernails clawed at Jones' arm desperately, but when she looked up, he was smiling with glee.

This was it, this was the last she'd see of her Chuck Bartowski. There was so much left unsaid, so much that she still wanted to do….

Sarah closed her eyes. She couldn't see it, she couldn't see Chuck jump to his death for her. Now, she'd die knowing that he'd sacrificed himself for his country and for her well-being. She didn't want him to die, she wanted him next to her, in his bedroom reading comics, at the Buy More with Morgan, or eating dinner with Ellie and Devon.

Her consciousness was fading as the suffocation blocked the flow of air to her brain. Black spots danced across her vision as she felt like she was inhaling acid.

 _Goodbye, Chuck,_ she thought sadly, _I never told you this, but I lo-_

The arm around her throat disappeared. Her world was no longer sluggish or in slow motion, but she seemed to absorb everything rapidly. Air filled her grateful lungs and she fell to her hands and knees, gasping. She looked up, but the world was still turning. She heard some yells and shouts behind her. She saw Chuck's body go falling over the roof's edge, but then she saw something else - more some _one_ else.

Major John Casey went sliding across the gravel to the roof's edge. His upper body went diving over the concrete ledge as his fists clenched around Chuck's ankle. His legs were precariously dug into the gravel, but he was relatively stable.

Sarah went sprawling forward and grabbed John's shoulders, trying to pull him back up to safety. Casey's face was red with effort as he heaved the lanky Chuck back up onto the roof. Sarah grabbed her asset's hand and helped pull him to rooftop.

Chuck backed away from the edge like it was poison. His eyes were wide, shocked, frazzled, and scared. His curly hair was windblown and he looked frighteningly pale.

"C-Casey?" Chuck stammered, looking at his NSA handler in awe.

"Get him out of here, Sarah!" John shouted as he went back towards Seeley Jones who was crawling to his feet. Casey tackled him from behind, thus allowing Sarah to escape his chokehold. When Jones was down, Casey went lunging for Chuck and just managed to catch him before he went plunging to the street.

"Chuck, come on!" Sarah's voice was hoarse, but she helped him to his feet, "the helicopter is landing, I've got to get you to safety!"

Chuck was still rattled. He was looking at Casey approaching Seeley Jones like it was a riveting TV show, he couldn't tear his eyes away.

Casey stood over the crawling Jones, who was laughing and spitting blood. His thigh still dripped with the red fluid, but he made no motion to escape.

"Look at you, all of you!" he spat, "Beckman's little chew toys! You think she's trying to help you? Think again!"

"Shut it!" Casey growled.

"Chuck!" Jones looked straight at him, "I was trying to help you, Chuck! Beckman and the CIA will get rid of you the first second they can! Mark my words, Bartowski, mark my-"

A loud gunshot rang through the air.

Chuck flinched and snapped out of his stupor. Casey stood above him, his already fired gun still pointed at the dead ex-CIA agent's body.

A silence ensued for several moments, or maybe it was because Chuck's ears were still ringing from the gunshot.

John walked over to Walker and Bartowski. He looked Sarah up and down.

"You alright?"

"Fine," she cleared her raspy throat, "thank you for that."

"Anytime, _partner_."

Casey's eyes traveled to Chuck who was still looking at Jones' body.

"And him?" John looked back at Sarah.

"I don't know," she pursed her lips, "I can't tell…"

"Okay, come on," Casey went to Chuck's side and hauled him to his feet, "the helicopter is here, Chuck! Time to get ya back to the Buy Morons!"

"Casey, what about him?" Chuck looked back at Seeley's lifeless body sprawled out on the rooftop.

"Don't worry about it," Casey stopped his questioning further, "take your meds, get to sleep. When you wake up, it'll be like nothing happened.

 _Like usual,_ Chuck thought to himself. That's what his life had been like for the last two years. Something horrible would happen, like an attempted bomb threat. The CIA would interceed, and stop the bad guys. Then, they'd clean it up and blame the mess on a "power outage" or "faulty gas pipe". Nobody would question it, nobody turned a head. Was that going to be the situation in this matter? Was the CIA going to cover up their blemish, AKA Seeley Jones, and pin the fault on a "deranged ex-marine" or something of the kind?

 _They couldn't…_ , but Chuck wasn't too sure. This was a glimpse of a whole new villain the CIA and his team could be facing. Former agents like Jones were running underground syndicates like this one and actually making progress. What was that hospital? Why were they there? Who are they a part of? What are their goals?

Chuck sat down in a helicopter, now wearing some loose sweats provided by the pilot. Sarah sat next to him, her eyes constantly scanning him to make sure he was okay. She was worried, he was barely speaking, but he could not. He needed time to process, time to think, and time to figure out who to trust.

She placed her hand on his knee, and he put his on top of hers. That reassured her a little bit. Chuck looked at Casey who was chatting away with the pilot about their experiences in Vietnam.

His exhaustion caught up with him. That Flumenzil Sarah gave him wore off a little while ago, and, now that the ordeal was over, he was ready to knock out for a week. He didn't want to deal with Beckman's post-report. He didn't want to see Sarah's concerned expression. He didn't want to think about Seeley Jones.

He wanted his family, Ellie, Awesome, and Morgan. He wanted Burbank, CA. He wanted to be at the Nerd Herd fixing laptops and phones. He wanted to be a normal guy with a normal routine and a normal life.  
That wasn't happening.

Chuck exhaled deeply, rested his head against the seat, and closed his eyes.

"What is the asset's condition at the moment, Major?" Beckman's stern voice echoed through Castle.

"Stable, General," Casey replied, "resting in the infirmary."

"What were his family and acquaintances led to believe?"

"His family thinks he was completing an install in San Diego. His work thinks he was ill."

"Good," she nodded, "run it by me again. How did you detain Seeley Jones?"

"Agent Walker rescued Bartowski from an operating room where Dr. Heinrich, presumably one of the organization's paid-off surgeons, was to perform a full frontal lobotomy on the asset. I was held under enemy fire, trying to avert their security detail from Walker's location. I was later informed that Agent Walker triggered the fire alarm and was able to take the asset to the roof to our waiting helicopter. When security dispersed in my location, as they had gotten word of the missing asset, I managed to make my way to the roof where Bartowski was standing on the roof's edge, presumably ready to jump off it and onto the street below."

"Was this decision by choice?"

"Absolutely not!" Sarah's tone was terse, "Agent Jones pursued us to the roof. I was apprehended by Jones who threatened to kill me unless Chuck jumped to his death."

"And you allowed this to happen under your watch, Agent Walker? Your sole priority is to protect the asset, not let it be taken and threatened."

"Chuck is not an 'it', General, he is a person who makes his own choices. I tried to reason with him, but he would not listen to orders."

"And that's always the problem, isn't it," Beckman sighed with frustration, "Mr. Bartowski's judgement seriously clashes with his function and role as The Intersect."

"Careful, General," Casey raised a brow, "you are starting to sound like Seeley Jones."

Her glare to John was frosty, but he stood his ground.

"I expect a full, detailed report on my desk by tomorrow morning, is that understood?"

"Yes, General," both handlers responded.

"Good," she nodded curtly, "when Mr. Bartowski awakens, I would like to have a word with him myself."

"Wait, General," Sarah interceded, "when I was inside the hospital, I saw a board of scheduled surgeries. There were many names on that list. What does the CIA knew about these names? Who are they? Are they other kidnapped assets taken by Jones' organization?"

"That is highly classified information, Agent Walker. The fact that you upturned this detail is significantly higher than your ranking. My agency is handling the matter."

"Just as they handled Chuck's rescue mission," Casey said sourly, "the mission that left my house full of bullet holes."

"An unfortunate turn of events, I assure you," she leveled Casey with another glare, "one that will not happen again. That's all for now, good night."

The monitor turned black.

Sarah slammed her palm against the table, "Something still doesn't feel right about all of this! Beckman is hiding something, Casey, and we've got to find out what it is."

"Walker, our mission is to protect Chuck, that's all. It is not to question the agency that directly gives us orders."

"What if it's much more than that, John? Jones was a gun for hire, right? Well, what if the CIA was the one who hired him, what if-"

"Enough, Walker," Casey's features hardened. She had crossed the line with him, "I will not stand here and entertain the idea that our superiors are conspiring and working against us. Chuck is back, he's safe, and that's it. End of discussion."

"Fine," she sighed, "I'm going to go check on him."

He grunted before retreating into the weapon's room, his quiet place.

Sarah walked from the main room to the infirmary. Chuck was sleeping on one of the cots. He wore black cargo pants and a white short sleeve shirt. His bruise was turning yellow at the edges, a sign of healing. She checked his vitals, happy he was recovering fine.

Sarah pulled a chair next to his cot and sat with him. After a moment, she reached forward and grasped his fingers.

"I'm glad you are safe, Chuck," she whispered, "I am truly sorry for letting this happen to you. I should have been more careful, I should have seen the signs, I should have never left you here alone that night. You should not have had to endure Jones' torture, but trust me, I am going to find out who he's working for, I am going to get to the bottom of it. Trust me," she took a breath, "everyday I worried that I would never get to tell you the things I've been wanting to since the day we met, Chuck. I didn't want to separate knowing that you'd never get to hear how I feel. On that rooftop, you looked at me and said it, and here I am saying it to you."

 _Here it goes…._

"I love you too, Chuck Bartowski."

A warm feeling spread through her chest, and she smiled. At least she had said it, whether Chuck was awake or not. She sighed happily and stood up, dusting off her clothes. She gave one last look to Chuck and walked quietly out of the infirmary as not to disturb him.

She didn't realize when she left that Chuck opened his eyes, looked after her, and smiled.

 **The End.**


End file.
